Yu-Gi-Oh! FES
by Master of The Wild Card
Summary: Reboot of Per-So-Na! GX. The Akasaka twins, Kazuma and Naomi, join Yuki Judai and company in the freshman class of Duel Academia. But if school and social life wasn't enough for the two to juggle, now they have to master the incredible power they've both awakened to, and unveil the secrets of the equally as strange nightmare world known as "Qliphoth". Rated M... for MARA!
1. Opening 1

_**[Play "Dream of a Butterfly" by Yumi Kawamura]**_

 _ **Dream of a Butterfly, or is life a dream? Don't wanna wake up 'cause I'm happier here**_

= As the song begins, Kazuma is shown standing calmly on a small patch of floating land amidst black, white, and grey scenery. The shot then pans out to reveal the title "Yu-Gi-Oh! FES", with a blue butterfly fluttering behind it.

 _ **Anata ga iru sore dakede yokatta tada hitotsu no shinjitsu datta no**_ _  
[ I was glad just to have you by my side. It was the only reality I needed. ]_

= The scene then shifts, still colored in black, white, and grey, showing Kazuma and Naomi walking down a path lined with trees on Duel Academia Island. As they go about talking amongst themselves, the sky suddenly darkens and the pair finds themselves standing first in the twisted world of Qliphoth, and then at the entrance to the Corridor of Akarana, where they continue to walk as if nothing has changed.

 _ **Dakedo sore wa yume de, swaying and dissolving like bubbles in the dark ocean**_ _  
[ But it was all just a dream, swaying and dissolving like bubbles in the dark ocean. ]_

= The scene briefly cuts to show the silhouette of a woman flying through the air before falling to the ground and falling silent as if to mimic a corpse. As the twins walk through Akarana, they pass by a large hourglass showing Chiyu sitting against the foot of a bed with her knees hugged to her chest within the glass itself, which the shot briefly zooms in on.

 _ **Kizukeba dare mo inai**_ _  
[ When I woke up, no one was really there. ]_

= The twins soon pass by another hourglass showing Mamoru as he leans against the wall of a building and slams his fist against it in frustration.

 _ **Tashikana mono wo nanimo reaching for the shimmering shape in vain**_ _  
[ There is nothing certain, reaching for the shimmering shape in vain. ]_

= Once more the twins walk by a third and fourth hourglass along their path side-by-side, one showing Asuka laying flowers down in front of the entrance to the Abandoned Dorm and the other showing Manjoume sitting alone inside one of the school's large classrooms.

 _ **Koko ni wa nai to wakatta**_ _  
[ That, I know is true in this place. ]_

= Continuing to walk along, the twins pass by a fifth hourglass, this one showing Kurogasa as he stands alone on the shores of the island, his head hung low and his fists clenched tightly.

 _ **Utsurou kono sekai nani wo shinjite ikireba ii?**_ _  
[ What should I believe in to live on in this ever changing world? ]_

= The scene then changes to show everyone minus Kazuma and Naomi in their respective sceneries. Each of them slowly look down at their hands and find various objects held in each. As they all nod to themselves, blue flames begin to ignite and erupt from the objects the others hold.

 _ **Kanashimi (I can't believe in you) oborete (But I cannot forget you)**_ _  
[ I'm drowning (I can't believe in you) in sadness (but I cannot forget you) ]_

= The scene around the twins then suddenly changes to their path on Duel Academia Island once more as a pillar of azure flames shoots up from a point off in the distance behind them, which gives rise to Fuma-Kotaro while simultaneously restoring a vibrant mix of colors to the area around it.

 _ **Sakebinagara anata niwa (I will dig up my faith) ano yoru (And march on)**_ _  
[ Calling out as I saw you (I will dig up my faith) that night (and march on) ]_

= At a point to the west, another pillar of flame rises up, giving way to Nergal, appearing in a fighting stance, and restoring color to the world further, which begins to gain the attention of the Akasaka twins.

 _ **Anata ga (I cannot see ahead) iru kara, (But I can't keep standing still)**_ _  
[ I believed (I cannot see ahead) that it's because (but I can't keep standing still) ]_

= Up ahead towards their destination, another pillar rises up, this one giving rise to Dakini, who raises her swords as color is once more restored to the area around her, which causes Kazuma and Naomi to look around more as they continue to walk.

 _ **Watashi tsuyoku narerun da to (So I will close my eyes) shinjita (And march on)**_ _  
[ You are by my side (So I will close my eyes) that I could grow strong (and march on) ]_

= Close by to Dakini's location, another pillar rises up to reveal the form of Barbatos, who lets out an unheard roar as color returns to the world much quicker than before.

 _ **Kurushimi (Can't lay the blame on you) osorete (But I cannot forgive you)**_ _  
[ I was afraid (Can't lay the blame on you) of suffering (but I cannot forgive you)]_

= Off to the east, yet another pillar of azure flames erupts from the ground, revealing Morrigan who spreads his black wings out to their full length, this time not only restoring color further, but also causing the sun to rise past the horizon.

 _ **Nakinagara anata yonda (So drenched up in the rain) ano hi (I'll march on)**_ _  
[ Crying as I called out to you (So drenched up in rain) that day (I'll march on) ]_

= Soon, three more pillars of fire can be seen rising up off in the distance, one at each of the three dorms, revealing the forms of Kronus, Maria, and Raziel.

 _ **Anata no (I cannot face the sun) sei da to (But I cannot dream at night)**_ _  
[ I realized (I cannot face the sun) my weaknesses (but I cannot dream at night) ]_

= With the world now totally restored to its full beauty, the Akasaka twins stop walking as they approach the courtyard of the school's main building, where they soon see Judai, Sho, Misawa, Asuka, Manjoume, Chronos, Samejima, and the other members of A.S.E.S.S. all standing in the courtyard as if they had been waiting there all along.

 _ **Kizuita jibun no yowasa (So under the moonlight) subete ga (I'll march on)**_ _  
[ Are because of you (So under the moonlight). They all are (I'll march on) ]_

= As they all catch sight of Kazuma and Naomi, each of them smile towards the twins, to which Naomi waves in greeting. The shot then closes in on Kazuma's face as a small hint of a smile escapes from his lips and the song comes to a close.


	2. Turn 1

**Yu-Gi-Oh! FES: Eleven Stars**

 **Turn 1**

 **The Ones Succeeding Yugi**

* * *

 _ **Hello everybody!**_

 _ **Master of the Wild Card here with the remastered version of my Yu-Gi-Oh! GX x Persona crossover story, now titled "Yu-Gi-Oh! FES"! Not to be confused with that shitty, incoherent 5D's story I did back when I didn't know jack all about writing.**_

 _ **I made the announcement a while ago, but I'll say it again. I'm rebooting this story. From the beginning. I'm going back and applying all these fresh, new ideas I've got cooking in my hellhole of a mind and things will be better than before. Now then, expect this first chapter to be rather lengthy, as we're starting with two duels right out the gate. And as an extra note, as is par for the course with me by this point, this is going to be based around the Japanese version of GX.**_

 _ **So I think that about covers everything. I'll leave you all to read on into the remastering of my GX story. Ah, actually, I'll mention this also. I said this before at the end of the old story, but for those of you that sent in characters for my use when I asked for them last time, you can still send those characters in for this story if you like. Or not, it's totally up to you.**_

 _ **Now then, I think that legit covers everything for now. So enjoy the show.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. I only own the Persona archetype, the Digital Devil archetype, and my OC's Akasaka Kazuma, Akasaka Naomi, and Tachibana Mamoru. All other rights go to the respective creators.**_

* * *

 _Domino City - a massive city that has become the home of some of the greatest Duelists in the history of Duel Monsters; Mutou Yugi, the King of Games himself, Katsuya Jounouchi, a Duelist with an incredible amount of luck on his side, and Kaiba Seto, the CEO of KaibaCorp. The city also houses a duel stadium, which, right now, is serving to test the applicants of one of the most prestigious Dueling schools ever built; Duel Academia. Two such Duelists were heading to the stadium right now…_

* * *

"Huh…" a young man of eighteen with untidy red hair and blue eyes looked at his watch and saw that he was on the verge of running late. The young man wore a black blazer over a white collared shirt, black pants, and white sneakers. "Man, if it weren't for that crime scene being set up…"

"Don't worry, Kazuma." said a young woman of eighteen that was walking behind him. She looked much like the boy, but with long, red hair tied into two pigtails. She wore an outfit similar to the young man's, presumably a school uniform. The outfit consisted of a white blouse with a red ribbon, black skirt, white stockings and brown loafers. The girl also wore a black jacket around her waist.

"Yeah, I know." the young man sighed. "I guess I'm just eager to get into Duel Academia."

"Kazuma... Can I ask you a question?" she asked.

"Hm?" The young man, Kazuma, replied curiously.

"Does this… have anything to do with...?" She asked. Kazuma froze in his tracks as that question sank into his mind, the completion of the sentence unneeded as far as he was concerned.

"You know what? I'm not sure about that myself…" He answered in thought. He shook his head slightly and the pair kept walking. His companion followed behind again, and after a few minutes of picking up speed, the pair had reached the duel stadium.

"Hello…" The red-haired woman greeted the two girls and suited man that waited outside. "I'm Examinee Number 4, Akasaka Naomi."

"And Examinee Number 3, Akasaka Kazuma. Are we late?" Kazuma added. The suited man was looking through a list when suddenly…

"Hey! Wait up!" yelled a boy with short brown hair that was currently climbing over the wall and pulling himself over the railing. This earned everyone's attention as he dropped down on the other side. "Number 110, Yuki Judai. Am I safe?" Seeing this boy gave Naomi and Kazuma a small hope.

"You all made it just in time." Said the man at the registration desk.

"YES!" Judai said in victory. While it wasn't evident on his face, Kazuma was also relieved. He then went to help up his fellow examinee.

"Thanks for that." Judai said as he stood up with Kazuma's help. "So, you were late too?"

"Yeah, police were setting up an investigation on the path we wanted to take, so we had to detour." Kazuma explained.

"Train problems for me." Judai said. "By the way, the name's Yuki Judai."

"… Akasaka Kazuma." Kazuma returned after a moment. "And that's my sister Naomi over there." The redhead in question then cleared her throat to get her brother's attention. Kazuma blinked, realizing they would be late if they stayed outside any longer, and the three examinees hurried inside.

* * *

"They're at it! They're at it!" Judai cheered as the three of them saw four dueling fields set up inside. Looking down at one of them, they saw a proctor with a _Big Shield Gardna_ and _Gear Golem of Moving Fortress_ , both in Defense mode, on his field, while on the opposing side, a student being tested, who wore a Chinese school or martial arts uniform had a _Blood Vorse_ on his field, along with a face-down card in his Magic  & Trap Zone.

 _ **Proctor LP: 1900  
Examinee LP: 3200**_

"No matter how well-capable you may be, in the face of this Super-Defense Deck, you can no longer touch my life Points." The proctor stated.

The examinee pressed a button on his Duel Disk, which revealed his facedown to be a Trap Card depicting a collar with grenades strapped to it. "I activate my Trap Card, _Ring of Destruction_." He announced. "I can destroy a Monster on the field, and then we both take damage equal to its ATK." The proctor gave a surprised look as the collar attached itself to _Blood Vorse's_ neck and exploded instantly.

 _ **Proctor LP: 1900-0  
Examinee: 3200-1300**_

"The Duel is over." The proctor stated, seemingly unfazed by the loss. "You've won."

"Thank you very much, oh wise proctor." The examinee replied with a bow.

' _Not bad.'_ Kazuma thought. _'It's rare to see people sacrifice their own Monsters like that. But this guy managed to get into a good spot for him to win.'_

* * *

"Examinee Number 1, Misawa Daichi, isn't half bad, is he?" A spectator asked.

"It was worth coming out here to see him after hearing the rumors, wasn't it, Manjoume-san?" another spectator asked.

"Nonsense, these duels are just set at a low level." Replied a third spectator, presumably Manjoume, who sat between the other two spectators, with black hair spiked down in front over his face and spiked up in the back. "Coming out here for this was such a waste. Duel Academia doesn't need _two_ kings, only one."

* * *

"Number 1's combo was awesome, huh?" Judai thought aloud.

"Of course it was." A voice spoke up. Judai, Naomi, and Kazuma looked down to see a boy with light blue hair and glasses rested on his nose. Though he didn't look it due to his height, he was likely the same age as the three of them.

"That's Misawa-kun, Examinee Number 1, or in other words, first place on the written test." The boy said.

"Oh, so that's what your Examinee Number means, huh?" Judai wondered.

' _Huh. So that's one of the guys that scored higher than me.'_ Kazuma noted to himself. _'I can definitely see why though.'_

"You pass depending on your grades on the written test and the details of your duel." The boy explained. "I managed to win my duel, but since I'm Examinee Number 119, I doubt they'll accept me…"

"Don't sweat it!" Judai said enthusiastically as he lightly slapped the boy on the back. "If you're lucky, you'll pass. I'm Examinee Number 110 after all."

" _You're_ an Examinee too?" the boy asked.

"Sure am." Judai replied.

"But the Duels with the 100's already ended with the first group." The boy said.

"It _what_?!" Judai panicked.

"Wait, what about us? Did our group finish up already?" Naomi asked.

"What are your numbers?" the boy asked.

"I'm Number 4, and my brother is Number 3." Naomi answered.

" _You're_ Numbers 3 and 4?" the boy exclaimed in surprise. "You guys _just_ missed your duels!"

"You're kidding!" Naomi gasped in disbelief.

"B-But they might be able to fit you guys in since you _did_ make it on time." The boy tried to reassure the twins before turning to Judai. "I'm not sure about you though…"

* * *

"We don't even need to deliberate on Misawa-kun, do we? I think it's settled," one faculty member said to another, concerning the recently concluded duel.

"Mm-hmm. He's the last one," the other faculty member agreed.

Sitting next to them, another faculty member with blonde hair and dressed in a rather frilly blue uniform, was going through some paperwork when the suited man from outside walked up to him.

"I beg your pardon," the suited man said, earning the attention of the faculty member. "There are three more examinees that made it to registration at the last minute…"

"What did they rank of the written test?" the blonde faculty member asked.

"Examinee Numbers 110, 3 and 4." the suited man answered.

"Fine, I'll have two others prep to test Numbers 3 and 4," the faculty member said. "But Number 110 must have very little sense of readiness if he's arriving _this_ late, no? We have no need for a dropout boy in _our_ academy, now do we?"

"Even so, he made it, if only _somewhat_ on time, so he _does_ qualify for the exam…" the first faculty member pointed out.

"And a train incident is to blame, anyway…" an older faculty member stated. "I also heard that the police had sectioned off an entire block due to an investigation."

"Wouldn't it be a bad idea to not let him take it?" the second faculty member questioned.

"Non problema-lema! Non! Non! Non!" the blonde faculty member argued until his phone started to ring, to which he pulled it out of his pocket and answered it. "Scusi? With whom am I speaking? Oh, Mr. Principal!"

[ _"I've heard that there are a few examinees that arrived at the last minute due to unfortunate hindrances,"_ ] said the man on the other end, the supposed principal of Duel Academia, surprising the faculty member that he found out so soon. [ _"Whether or not they did poorly on the written exam, or simply arrived late, you mustn't deprive them of their chance. Our school's aim is to garner a wide range of talents to train them into well-rounded Duelists, after all."_ ]

Once the call ended, the faculty member hung up his phone.

"Such sharp ears… You sly old dog…" the faculty member cursed to himself. _'Duel Academia is an academy for the Dueling Elite! Perché?! Why is Principal Samejima backing the dropout boy?'_ He then groaned in defeat. "I will be dueling Examinee Number 110!"

Just as the blonde faculty member was about to leave, one of the other members called out to him. "P-Please wait!" the faculty member then pulled out a suitcase full of various decks. "Professor Chronos, please take an examination deck."

"I have no need for one of those! I shall be using _my own_ deck!" the blonde faculty member, Professor Chronos, declared as he walked off. "But send someone for Examinee Number 3 and 4's exams before I duel Number 110!"

* * *

Up at the stands, Misawa Daichi had made his way back from the duel field and took a seat near the top right in front of the short boy, Judai, Naomi and Kazuma.

"I gotta say, you're one tough customer," Judai said to Misawa.

"I guess," Misawa shrugged.

"You may be the second-strongest out of the examinees this year," Judai said with a cheeky grin.

Kazuma, Naomi, Misawa and the shorter boy turned to Judai with confused looks on their faces.

"Examinee Number 3, Akasaka Kazuma-kun…" a woman's voice called over the PA system.

"Alright. My turn." Kazuma said while standing from his seat.

"So you're an examinee too?" Misawa inquired.

"That's right," Kazuma answered with a nod before pulling his deck out of its holder. Keeping a firm grip on his cards, Kazuma walked down the stairs towards the Duel field.

* * *

Down at the duel field, Kazuma was raised up as he put down his school bag and produced a custom Duel Disk from inside, colored in blue and black with an amber fixture in the center as opposed to the normal blue. Roman numerals ranging from zero to twenty-one were etched into the device in white print around the central portion of the Duel Disk, as well as the edge of the board that housed the card zones.

"Good luck, Kazuma!" Naomi cheered from her place in the bleachers.

Kazuma turned to his sister and nodded before he put the custom Duel Disk on his arm and shuffled his deck before sliding it into the machine, causing it to activate. Just as Kazuma finished his preparations, his opponent had just entered the field.

"Examinee Number 3, Akasaka Kazuma… I will be your opponent for this exam," the proctor introduced himself. "If you cannot prove yourself against me, you will not be allowed into Duel Academia this year."

"Then I'll give it everything I've got," Kazuma responded.

"That's what I like to hear," the proctor said with a grin.

"Duel!" the two called out as they drew their initial five cards.

 _ **Kazuma LP: 4000  
Proctor LP: 4000**_

"Watashi no tan! Draw!" the proctor called as he took the first turn. "I summon _Moon Envoy_ in Attack mode!" Appearing on the proctor's field was a tall man clad in blue armor with gold trim, white pants, and dark boots. Held in both hands was a long spear with a crescent-shaped axe head resting below the tip.

 **Moon Envoy  
LV 4  
LIGHT  
Warrior  
ATK [ 1100 ] / DEF 1000**

"Next I set two cards. Tan endo." the proctor finished.

"Ore no tan! Draw!" Kazuma called as he began his turn and drew his sixth card. "I summon _Hermit Persona - Forneus_ in Attack mode!" Appearing first on Kazuma's field was a grey-skinned creature resembling a manta ray.

 **Hermit Persona - Forneus  
LV 3  
WATER  
Aqua/Effect  
ATK [ 1300 ] / DEF 1000**

"Strange, I've never seen that card before." the proctor noted curiously.

"I'm not surprised, these cards haven't been released for public use." Kazuma replied.

* * *

" _Persona_?" asked a blonde young woman wearing a school uniform consisting of a white top and blue skirt from her place above the stands. "Ryo, do you know anything about these cards?"

A young man with dark blue hair, presumably Ryo, said nothing and looked down at the field in thought. He also wore a uniform, though his only consisted of a white and blue blazer. Finally, he spoke up. "They're a special set of cards created several years ago by a couple who worked for Industrial Illusions. They revolve around Fusion Summoning, from what I've heard."

"Well then how do you explain how _he_ has them?" asked a third voice.

"Mamoru-san? You've heard of them too?" the young woman asked. Another young man, presumably Mamoru, with short reddish-brown hair and brown eyes stepped forward next to his two friends.

"I only know as much as Ryo does, unfortunately." he replied.

"What about these cards is so interesting?"

"You'll just have to wait and see about that, Asuka-san."

* * *

" _Persona_?" the short boy asked.

"That Monster looks so cool! It's like something out of fiction!" Judai commented.

"I must admit, it _does_ remind me of something the likes of Lovecraft would think up." Misawa added.

* * *

"I'm activating _Forneus'_ Monster Effect!" Kazuma announced as a small dart-like mass of purplish energy formed in front of the manta ray. "Once per turn I can place a Mind Counter on a Monster my opponent controls." On cue, the small projectile shot forward and struck _Moon Envoy_ , causing a purple aura to outline its form. Suddenly, the warrior grew visibly weaker.

"And what does that do?" the proctor asked.

"Any Level 4 or higher Monsters with a Mind Counter become Level 3. Also, their ATK and DEF are halved." Kazuma explained, much to the proctor's shock as his Monster grew weaker.

 _ **[Moon Envoy - Level 4-3, ATK: 1100-550 / DEF: 1000-500]**_

" _Hermit Persona - Forneus_ attacks _Moon Envoy_!" Kazuma announced as icy wind began to gather around his Monster. "And whenever _Forneus_ battles a Monster with an equal or lower Level to his own, that Monster is destroyed immediately."

"What?" the proctor gasped as icicles rose up underneath his Monster and impaled it, causing it to shatter apart into nothingness.

"Also, after _Forneus_ destroys a Monster with its own effect, it's own Level is increased by the Level of the destroyed Monster." Kazuma added while his manta ray Monster briefly glowed.

 _ **[Hermit Persona - Forneus - Level 3-6]**_

"I also set two cards. Tan endo."

"Very well then. I have no idea what you plan on doing but I'll make sure that it doesn't happen. Watashi no tan!" The proctor said drawing his next card. "I activate the Magic Card, _Harpie's Feather Duster_ allowing me to destroy both of your Set cards." A harsh wind blew through the field, causing Kazuma to protect himself as his two Set cards were destroyed into pixels. "Next, I activate one of my Set cards, _Brainwashing - Brain Control_! By paying 800 Life Points, I now control your _Hermit Persona - Forneus_!" On cue with the proctor's explanation of his card, _Forneus_ floated over to the opposite side of the field and faced its former master.

 **Kazuma LP: 4000  
Proctor LP: 4000-3200**

"Now I will tribute it to Advance Summon _Angel Knight Perseus_!" the proctor announced as _Forneus_ vanished, only to be replaced by a warrior clad in sleek blue armor with gold trim and shining white, wing-like ornaments decorating his shoulders and waist.

 **Angel Knight Perseus  
LV 5  
LIGHT  
Fairy/Effect  
ATK [ 1900 ] / DEF 1400**

"Attack the player directly!" the proctor commanded as the _Angel Knight_ moved in for the attack.

"I activate an effect from my hand!" Kazuma interjected as he revealed a Monster from his hand.

"What?" The proctor asked in surprise.

"Can he actually do that?" the short boy asked incredulously.

"By discarding _Priestess Persona - Parvati_ , I can negate your attack and end this Battle Phase now." Kazuma explained as a pale-skinned woman with pink hair, garbed in Hindu-style clothing, suddenly appeared on the field and intercepted _Perseus'_ attack with a barrier of light. After _Perseus_ had moved back to the proctor's field, _Parvati_ vanished.

"I see… Tan endo." the proctor concluded.

"Didn't you say they revolved around Fusion Summoning?" the blonde girl, Asuka, asked Ryo as they watched the duel. Ryo said nothing in response.

"Ore no tan! Draw!" Kazuma called as he began his turn. "I pay 800 Life Points to activate the Magic Card, _Persona Fusion Search_. Using this, I can add 1 _Persona Fusion_ Normal Magic Card from my Deck to my hand while also Special Summoning a _Persona_ Monster from the Deck."

 **Kazuma LP: 4000-3200  
Proctor LP: 3200**

"Using _Fusion Search_ , I add _Persona Fusion - Line Spread_ to my hand and Special Summon _Hermit Persona - Lamia_ from the Deck." Kazuma declared as two cards stuck out from his Duel Disk, one of which he placed with the rest of his hand while he placed the other onto his Duel Disk. Appearing on Kazuma's empty field was a Monster with the upper body of a voluptuous young woman and the lower body of a large, reddish-brown serpent. Golden jewelry decorated the Monster's upper arms and neck, while its long, raven-colored hair cascaded down its back.

 **Hermit Persona - Lamia  
LV 4  
FIRE  
Reptile/Effect  
ATK [ 1600 ] / DEF 1600**

"Next, I activate the Magic Card, _Persona Fusion - Line Spread_!" Kazuma continued as he slapped another card into his Duel Disk. "Using this, I can Fusion Summon a _Persona_ Fusion Monster. In order to do this, I can use the Monsters on my field, in my hand, or in my Deck or Extra Deck."

"What the-?!" the proctor gasped in shock.

"Now _there's_ something you don't see everyday." Mamoru said with wide eyes. "What do you think, Ryo?"

"..." Ryo remained silent as he watched.

"Using _Line Spread_ , I'm using _Hermit Persona - Lamia_ as a Fusion Material along with _Hierophant Persona - Shiisa_ from my hand." Kazuma explained as a glowing blue circle filled with arcane designs materialized above the field. As _Lamia_ floated up, she was joined by a small, furry beast-like creature of Chinese origin, with both floating on either side of the circle. Both Monsters then surged towards each other and collided in a flash of bluish light that flooded the field.

 _ **"Two facets of my very soul! Pool your powers into this empty mask and reveal your new form! Create The Progenitress! Line Fusion! Priestess Persona - Tzitzimitl!"**_

Appearing on the field as the light died down was a tall woman with silver hair that forked off and transformed into a total of twelve hands, ten of them holding a crystalline sphere of a different color and two of them staying crossed over her chest. The woman wore a red jacket that was closed at the neck but tapered off after that, revealing her lower body was patterned to look like the night sky while also growing more transparent the further down one looked. Covering the woman's eyes were a pair of silver sunglasses.

 **Priestess Persona - Tzitzimitl  
LV 6  
LIGHT  
Fiend/Fusion/Effect  
ATK [ 2400 ] / DEF 2100**

"Line Fusion?" Asuka wondered.

"So this is the power of the _Persona_ deck…" Mamoru mused. "Being able to reach into the Deck itself to use what you need for a Fusion Summon. It's a method of dueling that challenges logic."

"Though why didn't he do so just now?" Ryo finally spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Asuka asked.

"His card supposedly lets him fuse using Monsters from the Deck, yet he didn't do that." Ryo noted.

"His _Persona Fusion Search_ card allowed him to Special Summon a Monster from his Deck." Mamoru pointed out in thought. "Could that be it? Maybe it prevented him from using material from the Deck because of that effect."

"That's quite possible." Ryo mused and nodded. "If that's the case, then this deck has a very interesting style of play."

"Next I activate the effect of _Hermit Persona - Lamia_." Kazuma continued. "Since it was sent from the field to the Cemetery, I can now place a Mind Counter on all Monsters you control that are Level 5 and above."

"That means _Perseus_ is…" the proctor said as his knight suddenly grew weaker and gained a purple aura around his form.

 _ **[Angel Knight Perseus - Level 5-3, ATK: 1900-950 / DEF: 1400-700]**_

" _Priestess Persona - Tzitzimitl_ attacks _Angel Knight Perseus_!" Kazuma commanded as lightning surged through his Fusion Monster. " **Ziodyne!** " On cue, a massive bolt of lightning was discharged from the _Priestess Persona's_ body and shot towards _Perseus_ , who was unable to protect himself and thus shattered into pixels.

 **Kazuma LP: 3200  
Proctor LP: 3200-1750**

"Tan endo." Kazuma finished.

"He's not bad." Asuka commented. "He's hardly taken any damage yet and he already has a testing proctor from Academia down to 1750 Life Points in only a few turns."

"It's my turn!" the proctor said, drawing his next card. "I activate _Treasure Cards from the Heavens_! This lets us both draw until we have six cards in our hands." Both players did as the card instructed. "Next I reveal my Trap Card, _Call of the Living Dead_ to revive _Angel Knight Perseus_!" Rising up from a gravestone was the angelic knight.

 **Angel Knight Perseus  
LV 5  
LIGHT  
Fairy/Effect  
ATK [ 1900 ] / DEF 1400**

"And next is the Magic Card, _Resurrection of the Dead_ to bring back _Moon Envoy_!" the proctor continued as his other Monster from the first turn rose back up from a portal in the ground.

 **Moon Envoy  
LV 4  
LIGHT  
Warrior  
ATK [1100] / DEF 1000**

"Now I'll tribute both of them to Advance Summon _The Creator_!"

As both Monsters vanished once more, a large, hulking figure covered entirely in fiery orange armor rose up onto the field, spreading out its metallic wings on either side of its body and staring down at Kazuma.

 **The Creator  
LV 8  
LIGHT  
Thunder/Effect  
ATK [ 2300 ] / DEF 3000**

"Next I activate its Monster Effect! By discarding a card from my hand, I can revive a Monster from my Graveyard! I choose to bring back _Angel Knight Perseus_!" The proctor continued as the angelic knight rose up once more after he paid the cost for his Monster's effect. "And next I use the Magic Card, _Shield in the Right Hand, Sword in the Left Hand_! This switches the ATK and DEF of all Monsters on the field during this turn only."

 _ **[The Creator - ATK: 2300-3000 / DEF: 3000-2300]  
[Angel Knight Perseus - ATK: 1900-1400 / DEF: 1400-1900]  
[Priestess Persona - Tzitzimitl - ATK: 2400-2100 / DEF: 2100-2400]**_

" _The Creator_ attacks your _Priestess Persona_!" the proctor announced as his Monster brought down a massive fist to crush Tzitzimitl.

 **Kazuma LP: 3200-2300  
Proctor LP: 1750**

"And next, _Angel Knight Perseus_ attacks the player directly!" The angelic knight flew forward and delivered a quick roundhouse kick to Kazuma, sending him back about a foot.

 **Kazuma LP: 2300-900  
Proctor LP: 1750**

"I'll Set one card. Tan endo. And at this time, the effects of _Shield in the Right Hand, Sword in the Left Hand_ wear off."

 _ **[The Creator - ATK: 3000-2300 / DEF: 2300-3000]  
[Angel Knight Perseus - ATK: 1400-1900 / DEF: 1900-1400]**_

"Tch… Ore no tan! Draw!" Kazuma called as he drew his seventh card. He looked at what he drew and nodded to himself. _'I've got it!'_

"I activate the Magic Card, _Persona Fusion - Triangle Spread_! Using this, I can now Fusion Summon a _Persona_ Fusion Monster by using exactly three Monsters from my side of the field, my hand, my Deck, or my Extra Deck."

"Now he can fuse three of them?" Mamoru asked with a furrowed brow. "What's _with_ this guy?"

"I'm fusing these three Monsters from the Deck - _Hermit Persona - Ippon-Datara_ , _Hierophant Persona - Omoikane_ , and _Priestess Persona - High Pixie_!" Kazuma declared as three Monsters appeared in front of another arcane circle above Kazuma, each of them placed to create a perfect triangle formation.

The first Monster, _Ippon-Datara_ , was a one-legged man with bronze-colored skin and wearing dark green and black patchwork clothing, with strange metal fixtures attached to his right arm.

The second, _Omoikane_ , was nothing more than a floating orange brain with bright blue eyes and several tentacles snaking out from underneath and behind it.

And finally the third, _High Pixie_ , was a small, toddler-sized woman with short, spiked silver hair wearing a purple leotard, gloves, and boots with black stockings and a silver breastplate over her chest.

 _ **"Three facets of my very soul! Pool your powers into this empty mask and reveal your new form! Create the Warrior Woman of Shadows! Triangle Fusion! Priestess Persona - Scathach!"**_

As all three Monsters surged together and generated a flash of bluish light, a new Monster emerged in their place and floated above Kazuma's field; a pale-skinned woman with long, raven-colored hair wearing a black wide-brimmed hat, black cloak, gloves, and calf-high boots, along with a black top and black thong that hardly covered her as she sat on her knees, leaving her cloak to fall over her form.

 **Priestess Persona - Scathach  
LV 7  
WATER  
Spellcaster/Fusion/Effect  
ATK [ 2700 ] / DEF 2200**

"Triangle Fusion?" Ryo asked curiously. "I see… I get it now."

"What's up?" Asuka questioned.

"His Fusion cards seem to require that he use a specific number of Monsters for a given Fusion Summon, so his 'Line' and 'Triangle' Fusions are how he differentiates between them. You could say it's like a gimmick to make him seem unique from others. Not that it's a bad thing."

"Well if this is his Triangle Fusion, I have to wonder what it does." Mamoru commented.

" _Priestess Persona - Scathach_ attacks _The Creator_!" Kazuma announced as his lone Monster flew forward.

"That's all he plans to do?" Misawa wondered. "Sure _The Creator_ will be off the field if the attack goes through, but that proctor can easily counterattack during the next turn… And with Number 3's Life Points at only 900, this could very well be the last turn for him."

" _Priestess Persona - Scathach's_ Monster Effect!" Kazuma called as he took _Tzitzimitl_ from his Cemetery and placed it back in his Extra Deck slot. "When a Magician, Angel, or Demon-Type Persona Monster declares an attack, I can double that attacking Monster's ATK during this battle only! But as a cost I have to shuffle one _Persona_ from my Cemetery back into the Deck."

 _ **[Priestess Persona - Scathach - ATK: 2700-5400]**_

"If this goes through, Number 3 could win." Asuka realized.

"I'm not letting you! Trap Card, open! _Holy Barrier - Mirror Force_! This destroys all of your Attack mode Monsters when one of them declares an attack!"

"I activate an effect from my hand!" Kazuma countered as he revealed another Monster card in his hand. "By discarding _Priestess Persona - Sarasvati_ when my opponent activates a Magic, Trap, or Monster effect, I can negate its activation."

"Then that means-" the proctor realized as his Trap Card shattered away, leaving his Monsters vulnerable. _Scathach_ then raised her arms up and conjured a plethora of icicles, which she then willed to fire towards _The Creator_. Each of them shot forward like bullets before striking the hulking Monster in the chest, making him shatter into pixels while the proctor's Life Points depleted.

 _ **Kazuma LP: 900  
Proctor LP: 1750-0**_

"The duel is over." The proctor stated, seemingly now composed once again and unfazed by the loss. "Congratulations. You've won."

"Thank you very much." Kazuma replied with a bow.

* * *

Once Kazuma made his way back to the bleachers, Naomi was the first one to congratulate him, "Kazuma, that was great!"

"Thanks," Kazuma said.

"Those cards of yours are quite powerful." Misawa added. "If you don't mind my asking, where did you get them?"

"Well…"

"Examinee Number 4, Akasaka Naomi-chan…" Kazuma was interrupted by the PA.

"Oh. Looks like it's your turn," Kazuma said as he heard the announcement. "Good luck." Naomi smiled before she made her way down to the duel field.

As Kazuma sat down, he suddenly felt unusually tired and lightheaded, finding it hard to keep his eyes open.

"Hey, Number 3, you alright?" Misawa asked, noticing Kazuma's sudden change in condition. However, Kazuma didn't get a chance to answer as he found himself losing consciousness almost immediately.

* * *

Kazuma opened his eyes to find himself standing in what appeared to be a small Japanese-style classroom. The thing that stood out was that the entirety of the room was made of, or at least covered by, what Kazuma thought to be deep blue velvet. Kazuma could also hear a soft, slow aria playing in the background, but he couldn't clearly discern where it was coming from.

On the side of the room he was facing there was a single desk meant for a student. And across from that, there was a teachers' desk. Behind that desk sat a man in a suit who looked to be quite old, with silvery white hair, bulging bloodshot eyes, and a very much noticeable bald spot. The man also had one of the longest noses Kazuma had ever seen on anyone, and he was sitting with his gloved hands folded under said nose.

"Welcome….to the Velvet Room." The man said as he looked straight at Kazuma. "Please, have a seat." The man gestured to the desk in front of Kazuma and he simply sat without a word, unsure of what else to do or what was going on.

"Uh, where am I?" Kazuma asked.

"Allow me to explain. As I said, this is the Velvet Room. This place exists between dream and reality, between mind and matter, light… and dark. It is a room where only those with a "contract" may enter." Kazuma simply sat there, still trying to process everything. "You may be awake here, yet you are sound asleep in your own world." The man explained. "My name is Igor; it is a pleasure to meet you. And this is my assistant, Samantha."

For the first time, Kazuma noticed the slender young woman standing next to Igor. The woman was no more than five or six years older than him, seemingly. She wore a blue business suit as well as a pair of blue heels and black pantyhose. She had long platinum blond hair that was tied into a French braid that went down to her mid-back. She also had kind eyes that were a bright shade of yellow.

"Pleased to meet you." Samantha said in a kindly manner.

"Now, what would your name be, my boy?" Igor continued.

"My name's Akasaka Kazuma..." Kazuma introduced himself, still trying to process whether this was all a dream or not.

"Well, I hope we will see more of you in the days to come." Samantha replied. Just then, Igor produced a deck of tarot cards and placed them on the table.

"Do you believe in fortune-telling?" Igor asked. "Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different."

"No." Kazuma replied. "If we know what's going to happen, that means everything was determined from the very beginning and we have no control. If we have no control, then what's our purpose? We're just going through the motions."

The bald man responded with an unnerving grin. "Indeed. But by predicting certain variables you can expect events to go down certain paths, yes? Still, let us see what the future has in store for you; there's no harm in it, after all." Igor suddenly waved his hand over the deck and six cards were spread across the desk. He flipped the first over, revealing a picture of a tower being struck by a bolt of lightning. At the bottom of the card was the Roman numeral for sixteen.

"Hm… The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It appears a terrible catastrophe is imminent. The card indicating the future beyond that is…" Igor flipped over another card, revealing a picture of a moon. At the bottom of the card face was the Roman numeral for eighteen. "The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents "hesitation", but also "mystery"."

"So… what does that mean?" Kazuma wondered aloud.

"It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. It is also possible that the circumstances of your misfortune may cause you to hesitate." Igor explained. "Let us look further into the future, shall we?"

Igor flipped another card over, revealing a pair of hands holding a flame in between them. Above that is a pair of eyes, and above that was the symbol for infinity. Below the picture was a single 'I' - the Roman numeral for one. "The Magician, in the upright position. This card symbolizes action, and one harnessing their talents. It seems you will have to do the same once you reach your destination in order to get past this misfortune. The card for the future beyond that is…" As Igor flipped the fourth card over, he softly gasped upon seeing that the card was blank. "I see…"

"Hm?" Kazuma wondered.

"It seems… that your destiny is quite different from previous guests." Igor remarked with a hint of interest in his voice. "This may serve to be rather interesting… and also troubling…"

"What does… that mean exactly?" Kazuma looked puzzled, trying to decipher the long-nosed man's cryptic words.

"All in due time my boy, all in due time." Igor replied. "Well, I shan't keep you any longer; time marches on in your world. I will call you back here within the next few days, but for now I bid you farewell…" Igor, Samantha, and the Velvet room all quickly vanished in a burst of white light and Kazuma could feel himself falling asleep once more.

* * *

Kazuma slowly opened his eyes to find that Misawa and the shorter boy were looking down at him with concern.

"Hey, are you alright?" the short boy asked. "You suddenly passed out once you sat down." Kazuma blinked as everything began to register in his head.

' _Was… that really some sort of dream?'_ Kazuma wondered to himself. _'Maybe it's best not to tell them about it for now.'_ "Yeah… I'm fine. Must have been more tired than I thought. I, uh… didn't get that much sleep last night."

"I see." Misawa said before looking towards the Duel field. "You woke up just in time actually. Your sister is about to win her duel." Kazuma looked towards the field and saw that Naomi was in fact in a good situation to win. On her field, Kazuma saw a single Monster he easily recognized; a teenage boy with short dark hair and grey eyes wearing black shorts and blue sneakers, but no shirt or upper covering of any sort, revealing the thick black tattoo-like markings running up and down his body in a manner not dissimilar to veins.

" _Demi-Fiend_! Attack the player directly!" Naomi declared. Upon command, The teeneger nodded and rushed forward, leaping into the air with his fist pulled back. Before long, he was falling through the air towards the opponent and, at the last second, threw his fist forward, to which the proctor shielded themselves against the holographic punch as their Life Points depleted.

 _ **Naomi LP: 900  
Proctor LP: 1600-0**_

"The duel is over." The proctor stated. "Congratulations. You've won."

"Thank you very much." Naomi replied with a bow before making her way back to the bleachers. Kazuma met her on the stairs.

"Looks like we did it." Kazuma said, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

"Akasaka Kazuma, is that _a smile_ I see on your face?" Naomi asked almost teasingly, knowing that her brother almost never smiled.

"I guess so." He replied.

"Examinee Number 110, Yuki Judai-kun…" The PA announced.

"Alright! Looks like I get a shot after all!" Judai cheered before turning his attention back to Kazuma for a moment. "You and Misawa might just be tied for second-strongest."

"Hey, you," Misawa said, catching Judai's attention as the brunette young man was making his way down the stairs to the field. "Why are Kazuma-kun and I tied for Number 2?"

"Because _I'm_ Number 1," Judai declared while pointing to himself with his thumb before continuing down the stairs.

"He only scored _nine_ _higher_ than me on the written exam, so why is he so confident?" the shorter boy wondered.

"I guess that's what we're about to find out, now isn't it," Kazuma said while glancing down at the shorter boy.

"By the way, what's your name?" Naomi asked the shorter one.

"Huh? Oh, I'm Sho," the boy introduced himself. "Marufuji Sho."

"Akasaka Kazuma," Kazuma officially greeted.

"And I'm Akasaka Naomi, his sister." Naomi added with a polite bow, addressing Sho.

"Misawa Daichi. A pleasure." Misawa officially introduced himself to the others.

* * *

Down at the duel field, Judai was being lifted up as Chronos was being outfitted with his personal Duel Disk.

"Buon giorno!" Chronos greeted the examinee.

"Yuki Judai, sir!" Judai introduced himself as he stood at attention.

"Signor Judai, I am Chronos de Medici, the academy's acting Chief General Director of Practical Application," Chronos returned the introduction.

"What an honor! To think that the Director of Practical Application challenged me!" Judai said, getting excited as he rubbed the back of his head. "I bet that means you're expecting a lot out of me!"

'I've been struck speechless…' the faculty member though as he sweatdropped while Judai laughed.

* * *

"Professor Chronos is dealing with this _personally_?" questioned one of the students sitting next to Manjoume.

"Is that Judai dude that big a deal?" wondered the other student sitting to Manjoume's other side.

 _'That can't be it!'_ Manjoume shouted in his head.

* * *

"First Examinee Number 3 with the _Persona_ cards and now Chronos is taking on Number 110…" Mamoru quietly mused. "There might be something interesting about these late entries…"

* * *

"Duel Coat, on!" Chronos called out as he waved his hand over the chest part of his personal Duel Disk.

"That thing's so awesome!" Judai couldn't help but get excited as his opponent repositioned his Duel Coat's tray and drew his starting five cards. "Sensei, can I buy one of those coats, too?"

"All of the high-achieving students have one," Chronos explained. _'Not that it would concern a dropout boy like you. It_ never _will…'_

"All right, I'll do my best!" Judai said, getting even more pumped up.

"Duel!" the two shouted as Judai drew his initial five cards.

 _ **Judai LP: 4000  
Chronos LP: 4000**_

"Ore no tan!" Judai said as he drew his sixth card and looked over his hand. "All right. I'll summon _Elemental HERO Featherman_ in Defense mode!"

As Judai played his card, a man with most of his body covered in green feathers, a pair of large wings and a claw weapon on his left arm appeared on the field.

 **Elemental HERO Featherman  
LV 3  
WIND  
Warrior  
ATK 1000 / DEF [ 1000 ]**

"Next, I'll set a card on the field," Judai continued as he slid a card into his Duel Disk, causing a reversed card to appear behind his Monster. "My turn's finished!"

"He has _Elemental HERO_ cards?" Kazuma mused while watching the duel. "The _Elemental HERO_ cards are a lot like my _Personas_. They rely on Fusion, but it's more traditional..."

" _Persona_ vs. _Elemental HERO_ … That would certainly make for an interesting match," Misawa noted. "Both decks are built around Fusion, and from what little I've seen of this _Persona_ archetype, adaptability, so seeing those two decks face each other would be worth watching at least once."

"Watashi no tan," Chronos said calmly as his sixth card slide out of the slot when he moved his hand in front of it, then checked his available hand. _'A_ HERO _Deck, is it? I suppose one could say that he was some kind of small-town hero, then.'_ "Allow me to teach you how broad the world is! From my hand, I activate the Magic Card, _Confiscation_!"

"What? _Confiscation_?" Judai repeated, wondering why his opponent had such a powerful card for an examination duel.

"I pay 1000 points from my Life so I may see my opponent's hand…" Chronos explained while the remaining cards in Judai's hand started to glow. "…choose one card from it, and discard it to the Cemetery." As Chronos finished the explanation of how his card worked, holographic versions of Judai's cards appeared in front of him. "Sure enough, the deck of a dropout boy, I see."

 _ **Judai LP: 4000  
Chronos LP: 4000-3000**_

 _'Is he taunting the deck I put my life into?'_ Judai mentally questioned as he glared a bit at his opponent.

"I'll send _Resurrection of the Dead_ to the Cemetery!" Chronos declared, to which the holographic card turned around to face Judai before shattering to pixels, to which Judai pushed the card into his Cemetery slot. "Then, I'll place two cards face-down on the field." Chronos continued as two reversed cards appeared in front of him. "Next, I activate the Magic Card, _Heavy Storm_ , from my hand! This card destroys all Magic and Trap cards on the field!"

As Chronos played his card, a powerful gust of wind swept across the field, destroying all three reversed cards while briefly revealing Judai's card to have been _Drain Shield_.

Though Judai couldn't help but point out his opponents' blunder, "But sensei, you got your cards mixed into it, too!"

"This is what they call 'being a frog in a well'. Ribbit, ribbit!" Chronos taunted once the wind had died down only for the field to be enveloped in dark mist.

"What the…" Judai said, wondering what could have triggered the mist.

"I Special Summon the _Evil God Tokens_!" Chronos announced as a pair of gold, snake-like creatures rose up from the mist.

 **Evil God Token** (x2) **  
LV 4  
DARK  
Fiend/Token  
ATK [ 1000 ] / DEF 1000**

Most of the spectators were in awe at Chronos' move.

"I'm so lost on what happened…" Sho said.

" _Golden Wicked Idol_ is a special Trap that creates a Token when destroyed," Kazuma explained. "Professor Chronos destroyed his own _Golden Idols_ to utilize their effect."

"And since the Tokens are as strong as _Featherman_ , the fact Professor Chronos has two of them means he's planning to summon something powerful," Misawa noted.

"That's no entry exam deck!" one of Manjoume's "lackeys" realized. "It's Professor Chronos's own Dark Ages Deck!"

"He's got his combo going and quartered off Number 110's Trap at the same time!" Manjoume's other "lackey" noted.

"For there to be an examinee that can beat that deck…" the first "lackey" trailed off.

"…is wishful thinking, right?" the second "lackey" finished.

Manjoume just scoffed, "I thought that examinee was something special, but I was sorely mistaken. Professor Chronos plans to give that dropout boy's fleeting dream a very-thorough stomping on."

"I feel sorry for him. It seems as if Chronos doesn't fancy him," Asuka said as she and her two companions continued to watch the last exam duel.

"This is quite a sight," said Ryo, earning the young woman's attention. "The Dark Ages Deck… Thanks to Number 110 here, we might have the honor of seeing its legendary rare card."

"My turn is not over as of yet!" Chronos announced, to which Judai chuckled in amusement.

"Sounds fun! What're you showing me this time, sensei?" Judai asked eagerly.

"Next, I Tribute my two _Evil God Tokens_ …" Chronos said casually as his two creatures burst into flames and vanished. "…to Advance Summon _Antique Gear Golem_!"

"Isn't this…" Asuka gasped with her eyes widened as Chronos played his card, causing a gigantic mechanical creature to slowly rise up from the ground. "His legendary rare card!"

"Awesome! The rumors filled me in on that thing!" Judai said, eager to face his opponent's best Monster.

 **Antique Gear Golem  
LV 8  
EARTH  
Machine/Effect  
ATK [ 3000 ] / DEF 3000**

"A Level 8 Monster just out of the blue like that?!" Sho said in surprise.

"The legendary _Antique Gear Golem_ … This might not go well for Judai," Naomi said, interested in how her fellow examinee would handle the situation.

"Chronos de Medici has yet to lose once he's summoned this card," Ryo stated. "I wouldn't have pegged that examinee to have the power to make the Professor take this seriously."

"Professor Chronos is pretty fickle, you know," Asuka pointed out before letting out a sigh. "It's a shame. I just heard the iron doors of the Academia closing shut."

"Don't count him out yet," Mamoru told his companions, earning their attention. "He may have a chance to turn this duel around." The young man then turned his eyes towards his male companion. "You know this just as well as anyone… Kaiser."

The dark-haired young man merely shot a glance at Mamoru before he and their female companion returned their attention back to the duel.

Chronos laughed victoriously, "Here I go! **Ultimate Pound!** "

The gears in the golem's body began to turn as the creature's eye lit up and it slowly pulled its right arm back before throwing it forward at Judai's defending Monster, destroying it on contact.

" _Antique Gear Golem's_ ATK is 3000, and _Featherman's_ DEF is 1000! It didn't stand a chance!" Sho said as he shook his head.

"And that's not the half of it," Misawa said, earning Sho's and Kazuma's attention. "When that Monster attacks a Monster in Defense mode, and its ATK exceeds its DEF, its effect deals the difference as battle damage to the opponent."

"And when that Monster attacks, the opposing player can't activate any set Magic or Trap cards until after the damage is dealt," Kazuma added.

"N-No way… That Monster breaks the rules, doesn't it?!" Sho complained as an illusion of the golem's fist went right through Judai.

 _ **Judai LP: 4000-2000  
Chronos LP: 3000**_

Chronos continued to laugh as Judai's Life Points fell, "Already lost your fighting spirit, have you?"

However, now it was Judai who was laughing as he raised his head with a smile on his face, "I'm really touched that the General Directing Professor is dueling his hardest against me!"

 _'What?! Just how mistaken is he? I never intended to let some dropout boy like you through the gates of the prestigious Duel Academia!'_ Chronos yelled in his head as he glared at Judai.

' _This is where my true power will get put to the test!'_ Judai thought to himself as he was about to draw his next card, until…

 _ **"Kuri kuri kuri!"**_

 _'Who's that calling me?'_ Judai mentally asked as he pulled the next card from his deck and looked at it. _'It's you from earlier… It couldn't be…'_

* * *

 _ **[Flashback]**_

 _Before Judai arrived for his exam, he had accidentally bumped into someone and dropped his cards. After picking them up though…_

 _"This is a lucky card. Do your best," the person he had bumped into said while holding out a card._

 _ **[Flashback End]**_

* * *

The wings on the creature's card began to glow as Judai read its name in his head, _'I see, then. You're_ Winged Kuriboh _?'_ Judai then looked over the rest of the card to see what it could do, but then thought he was imagining things when he saw the creature on the card wink at him. _'All right, I'll believe in you!'_ "From my hand, I summon _Winged Kuriboh_ in Defense mode!"

As Judai played the card, the creature that appeared was a ball of fur with big yellow eyes, green hands and feet with claws, and a pair of white wings.

 **Winged Kuriboh  
LV 1  
LIGHT  
Fairy/Effect  
ATK 300 / DEF [ 200 ]**

"Next, I set a card face-down to end my turn!" Judai concluded as a reversed card appeared behind his small Monster.

Chronos just laughed at Judai's attempt at a defense, "A feathered _Kuriboh…_ You have quite the rare card there, no? However, it is just a low-level Monster, is it not? You may have played it in Defense mode, but it will not stave off _Antique Gear Golem's_ piercing damage effect! I suppose a runt of a Monster _does_ befit a runt!" Chronos mocked his opponent. "My turn, is it not?" The Professor moved his hand over his deck, letting it slide the next card into his hand. "This is the end. Now, _Antique Gear Golem_ , use your **Ultimate Pound** on _Winged Kuriboh_!"

The giant Monster once more pulled its arm back before throwing it at Judai's new Monster, destroying it instantly.

 _'Sorry,_ Winged Kuriboh _…'_ Judai mentally apologized to his Monster.

"Why isn't your Life decreasing?" Chronos suddenly asked from confusion.

"On the turn _Winged Kuriboh's_ destroyed, any damage I'd take becomes zero," Judai explained, shocking his opponent.

"To think there's a card Chronos doesn't know about…" Asuka said, seemingly intrigued by what happened.

"There are some places that even the Professor cannot reach," Ryo said. "The dueling world is boundless."

"That's what makes dueling so exciting," Mamoru pointed out. "New skills, techniques and combinations appear every day that change the way we duel. I think Number 3 showed us that much earlier."

"That was your runt of a Monster's special ability, was it?" Chronos mocked as Judai slid _Winged Kuriboh_ into the Cemetery.

"You'll pay for calling a friend who put his life on the line to protect me a 'runt'!" Judai warned.

"Such a smart-alec!" Chronos continued. "Is there a problem with me calling your throw-away Monster a 'runt'?"

"There is. _Winged Kuriboh's_ shriek is the signal that'll call the Monsters in my deck out into action!" Judai explained. "I activate my Trap card! _Hero Signal_!"

As Judai's card rose up, it shot a beam of energy at the ceiling, revealing a red H once the light faded.

"This Special Summons, from my deck, my second _Elemental HERO! Burstlady_!" Judai announced as he pulled the card from his deck and played it, summoning a woman with ash-colored skin and a red, flame-designed suit with a gold helmet and long black hair with ash-colored tips.

 **Elemental HERO Burstlady  
LV 3  
FIRE  
Warrior  
ATK [ 1200 ] / DEF 800**

"Ore no tān!" Judai called out as he drew his next card and looked at it. " _Winged Kuriboh_ , I've got a nice, tight grip on all of your cheering. Just watch me!" Judai then looked through the other two cards in his hand. "Then, _Featherman's_ using his firm fighting spirit to come right back! Thanks to the _Safe Return of the Warrior_ Magic Card, I bring him back from the Cemetery to my hand, and Summon him!"

Judai slid the Magic card into his Cemetery slot and grabbed the Featherman card that slid out, and then played it to bring the feathered _HERO_ back to the field.

 **Elemental HERO Featherman  
LV 3  
Kaze  
Warrior  
ATK [ 1000 ] / DEF 1000**

"Hmph. What good will your fragile little comic book heroes do you?" Chronos questioned. "They are nothing more than Normal Monsters!"

" _Featherman_ and _Burstlady_ …Normal Monsters with low ATK are just their temporary forms," Judai explained as he held up a card. "You're in for a shock when you see their _true_ form, sensei! I activate the Magic card, _Fusion_!" As Judai played his card, his two Monsters leapt into the air. "This'll fuse _Featherman_ and _Burstlady_!" The two Monsters then dissolved into pixels only to reform into a single, larger Monster with a green and red body, a dragon's head for a right arm, a single white wing sprouting from its back on the left side and a dragon's tail protruding from its backside. "Fusion Summon! My favorite card, _Elemental HERO Flame Wingman_!"

 **Elemental HERO Flame Wingman  
LV 6  
FIRE  
Warrior/Fusion/Effect  
ATK [ 2100 ] / DEF 1200**

"Cool!" Sho said with amazement.

"That _Flame Wingman_ of his can only be summoned with a Fusion Summon," Misawa explained. "It can deal damage to the opposing player equal to the ATK of the opposing Monster it destroys in battle."

"But still, _Flame Wingman's_ ATK is 2100, so it's nowhere near _Antique Gear Golem's_ ATK," Kazuma pointed out.

"Yeah. If he's really Number 1, he'll work something out," Misawa said.

"Actually, he's Number 110…" Sho corrected.

"I shall give you a special lecture, so listen up…" Chronos said. "Please keep that in mind! You may have Fusion Summoned it, but its ATK is 2100. It comes well short of my _Antique Gear Golem_!"

"Then, I'll teach _you_ something, sensei," Judai said. "Heroes have a battle arena fit just for heroes!" As Judai spoke, he held up his Duel Disk and a slot on the side opened up. "The Field Magic, _Skyscraper_!"

Once Judai played his final card, the duel field began to glow as tall buildings rose up around the two duelists and their Monsters. Once everything was in place, _Flame Wingman_ stood atop the tallest of the skyscrapers with the moon shining behind it.

"Okay, the stage is set!" Judai declared. "Go, _Flame Wingman_! Attack _Antique Gear Golem_!" _Flame Wingman_ then spread its wing and dove down towards the mechanized giant.

"Scherzi! You must be joking!" Chronos scoffed. " _Flame Wingman's_ ATK doesn't hold a candle to _Antique Gear Golem_!"

Despite what Chronos said, _Flame Wingman_ continued to fly down at its opponent. Then, once its feet touched the ground, the Fusion Monster jumped higher into the air above _Antique Gear Golem_.

"A hero always wins!" Judai said. " _Skyscraper_ is a Field Magic that, should an _Elemental HERO_ battle with a Monster with an ATK higher than its own, will raise its ATK by 1000 points!"

"O, Dio!" Chronos cried out in shock.

"Take this! **Skyscraper Shoot!** " Judai commanded as _Flame Wingman_ grew stronger.

 _ **[ Elemental HERO Flame Wingman - ATK: 2100-3100 ]**_

It then spun around in the air and dove down at _Antique Gear Golem_ with its body now engulfed in flames.

Professor Chronos did nothing as he watched Judai's Monster crash down on top of his own, creating an explosion that engulfed the holographic city as the spectators watched with wide-eyes at what was without a doubt a victory for Judai.

 _ **Judai: 2000  
Chronos: 3000-2900**_

"Mamma Mia! My _Antique Gear Golem_ , it has-" Professor Chronos cried as pieces of his Monster began to fall around him until one piece landed right on his head while _Flame Wingman_ returned to Judai's field.

"Thanks to _Flame Wingman's_ Monster Effect, you'll take damage equal to the ATK of the destroyed Monster, sensei," Judai explained.

"What?!" Chronos asked, only to look up and see his Monster continue to crumble. "N-No, no, no, no, no! N-No, no! No!"

Unfortunately, the remains of _Antique Gear Golem_ fell right on top of the Professor, signifying the damage from _Flame Wingman's_ Monster Effect.

 _ **Judai LP: 2000  
Chronos LP: 2900-0**_

Judai then raised his hand and held out a two-fingered salute, "Gotcha! That sure was a fun duel, sensei!"

"But how…" Chronos mumbled, mortified by his loss as the holograms faded away. "How was I beaten by that dropout boy?!"

Up in the bleachers, Manjoume and his two "lackeys" were wide-eyed at Judai's win over Chronos.

"I can't believe Professor Chronos was just beaten by an examinee!" Manjoume said in shock.

"He's kind of interesting, isn't he?" Asuka asked her two companions, only to see Ryo walk off.

"I get the feeling this is going to be an incredibly interesting year," Mamoru said with a smirk.

"Way to go, Number 110!" Sho cheered.

"He did it." Kazuma said to himself.

 _'You might turn out to be a fine rival, Number 1-kun,'_ Misawa thought to himself with a smirk on his face. _'Kazuma-kun will too, for that matter.'_

"Yay! I won! I did it!" Judai cheered, jumping around down on the Duel field and waving at the spectators before pulling out the _Winged Kuriboh_ card. "I'll be counting on you from now on, Partner."

 _ **"Kuri kuri!"**_ the spirit inside the card squeaked as it winked at Judai.

* * *

 _ **And there we go. The first chapter of the reboot. Yes, this is really happening. Yes, I intend to finish it this time. No, I won't neglect the story for a year straight like before.**_

 _ **Anyways, with that out of the way, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy what's to come.**_

* * *

 _ **Hermit Persona - Forneus  
**_ _ **LV 3  
**_ _ **WATER  
**_ _ **Aqua/Effect  
**_ _ **ATK 1300 / DEF 1000  
**_ Effect - Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up Monster your opponent controls; place 1 Mind Counter on it (Level 4 or higher Monsters with Mind Counters become Level 3, also those Monsters' ATK and DEF each become half their original values). At the start of the Damage Step, if this card battles a Monster whose Level is less than or equal to this card's: You can destroy that Monster, then increase this card's Level by the destroyed Monster's Level on the field.

 _ **Priestess Persona - Parvati  
LV 4  
WATER  
Spellcaster/Effect  
ATK 0 / DEF 2000  
**_Effect - When your opponent's Monster declares an attack: You can discard this card; negate the attack, then end the Battle Phase (this is a Quick Effect). Once per turn, if this card is in your Cemetery, you can Special Summon it, but it cannot be used as a Fusion Material for a Summon this turn.

 _ **Persona Fusion Search  
Normal Spell Card**_  
Pay 800 Life Points; add 1 "Persona Fusion" Normal Spell Card from your Deck to your hand, then Special Summon 1 "Persona" Monster from your Deck, but you cannot use "Persona" Monsters from your Deck as Fusion Materials for a Fusion Summon this turn, also, until the end of this turn after this card resolves, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of "Persona Fusion" cards. You can only activate 1 "Persona Fusion Search" per turn. You cannot activate this card if you activated a "Persona Fusion" Normal Spell Card this turn.

 _ **Hermit Persona - Lamia  
LV 4  
FIRE  
Reptile/Effect  
ATK 1600 / DEF 1600  
**_Effect - You can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard, then target 1 face-up Monster you control; this turn, it can attack all Monsters your opponent controls with Mind Counters, once each. If this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: Place 1 Mind Counter on each Level 5 or higher Monster your opponent controls (Level 4 or higher Monsters with Mind Counters become Level 3, also those Monsters' ATK and DEF each become half their original values).

 _ **Persona Fusion - Line Spread  
Normal Spell Card**_  
Fusion Summon 1 "Persona" Monster from your Extra Deck, using exactly 2 Monsters from your hand, Deck, Extra Deck, or your side of the field as Fusion Materials. Also apply these effects.  
● You cannot use "Persona" Monsters in your Deck as Fusion Materials if you Normal Summoned/Set a Monster this turn.  
● You cannot Special Summon Monsters for the rest of this turn, except from the Extra Deck, if you use "Persona" Monsters from your Extra Deck as Fusion Materials.

 _ **Hierophant Persona - Shiisaa**_ (Mentioned, not played) _ **  
LV 4  
WATER  
Beast/Effect  
ATK ? / DEF ?  
**_Effect - This card's original ATK and DEF each become equal to the number of WATER Monsters on the field x 500. If this card battles a WATER Monster: Gain Life Points equal to that Monster's Level x 300.

 _ **Priestess Persona - Tzitzimitl  
LV 6  
LIGHT  
Fiend/Fusion/Effect  
ATK 2400 / DEF 2100  
Materials - 2 "Persona" Monsters  
**_Effect - Cannot be destroyed by battle. Once per turn, during your Main Phase 1: You can discard 1 "Persona" Monster; this turn, this card can attack all Monsters your opponent controls, once each. When a "Persona" Monster that is in your possession activates its effect while it is in your hand, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until that effect resolves.

 _ **Persona Fusion - Triangle Spread  
Normal Spell Card**_  
Fusion Summon 1 "Persona" Monster from your Extra Deck, using exactly 3 Monsters from your hand, Deck, Extra Deck, or your side of the field as Fusion Materials. Also apply these effects.  
● You cannot use "Persona" Monsters from your Deck as Fusion Materials if you Normal Summoned/Set a Monster this turn.  
● You cannot Special Summon Monsters for the rest of this turn, except from the Extra Deck, if you use "Persona" Monsters from your Extra Deck as Fusion Materials.

 _ **Hermit Persona - Ippon-Datara**_ (Mentioned, not played) _ **  
LV 4  
DARK  
Zombie/Effect  
ATK 1600 / DEF 1000  
**_Effect - This card gains 200 ATK for each Mind Counter on the field. When this card destroys an opponent's Monster by battle: You can equip the destroyed Monster to this card. Once per turn: You can target 1 of these equipped Monsters; destroy it, and if you do, gain Life Points equal to its original ATK.

 _ **Hierophant Persona - Omoikane**_ (Mentioned, not played) _ **  
LV 4  
LIGHT  
Fiend/Effect  
ATK ? / DEF ?  
**_Effect - This card's original ATK and DEF each become equal to the number of LIGHT Monsters on the field x 500. If this card battles a LIGHT Monster: Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step.

 _ **Priestess Persona - High Pixie**_ (Mentioned, not played) _ **  
LV 3  
LIGHT  
Fairy/Effect  
ATK 1200 / DEF 1300  
**_Effect - During your opponent's Main Phase: You can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard, then target 1 face-up Effect Monster your opponent controls; negate that opponent's face-up Monster's effects until the end of this turn (this is a Quick Effect).

 _ **Priestess Persona - Scathach  
LV 7  
WATER  
Spellcaster/Fusion/Effect  
ATK 2700 / DEF 2200  
Materials - 2 "Persona" Monsters + 1 Fairy-Type Monster  
**_Effect - During either player's turn, when a Spellcaster, Fairy, or Fiend-Type "Persona" Monster you control battles; you can shuffle 1 "Persona" Monster from your Graveyard into the Deck; your battling Monster's ATK becomes double its current ATK until the end of the Damage Step. You can only use this effect of "Priestess Persona - Scathach" once per turn.

 _ **Priestess Persona - Sarasvati  
LV 2  
WATER  
Fairy/Effect  
ATK 900 / DEF 700  
**_Effect - During either player's turn, when a Monster on the field activates its effect, or when a Spell/Trap Card activates its effect: You can send this card from your hand or your side of the field to the Graveyard; that activation is negated.

 _ **(The above cards were created by me and are based on the Persona series. All creative rights to the cards themselves go to me.)**_


End file.
